Former champion sprinter Schillaci has been honoured by today's announcement
of a new award for the best performed sprinter over the Melbourne autumn carnival.

Points will be allocated to the first five placegetters in five
Group One events over the next seven weeks.

The horse with the highest number of points will then win
the Schillaci Silver Arrow, a unique trophy which has been fashioned in the shape of an
arrow.

The series will kick off on Saturday with the running of
the $402,000 Group One Lightning Stakes at Flemington and continue with races at
Caulfield, Moonee Valley and Flemington.

The other races in the series are the $1,012,000 Blue
Diamond Stakes (Caulfield on February 23), $352,000 Oakleigh Plate (Caulfield on February
23), $752,500 Newmarket Handicap (Flemington on March 9) and the $270,000 Australia Stakes
(Moonee Valley on March 23).

The winning horse in each of the races in the series will
gain six points. The next four placegetters, from second through to fifth, will get four,
three, two and one point respectively.

The brainchild of the award was Racing Victoria's General
Manager of Racing Danny Curran.

David Christensen, one of Schillaci's owners, and Damien
Oliver the regular hoop of the top sprinter were both presented with framed memorabilia at
today's launch.

Schillaci, who died on November 15 last year was one of
Australia's best and most loved sprinters.

A flashy grey, Schillaci was one of Lee Freedman's early
stars on the track and helped establish the trainer as a household name throughout the
country.

During an illustrious career the sprinter won eight Group
One races, and was placed in another six.

It was a rapid rise for the gelding who just three starts
after winning a Maiden at Kyneton he would win the first of eight Group One events.

Had he not lost the Group Two Canterbury Stakes to Alishan
on protest he would have had a winning run of seven races.

The son of Salieri retired with 36 starts for 16 wins, 6
seconds and 6 third amassing an impressive $2.3 million.

His final run was in the 1995 Stradbroke Handicap, where he
ran a close second to Rouslan in a race which cost his rider Shane Scriven a suspension.